Everyone a celebrity

Students from John Young Middle School display artwork at library

Students from John Young Middle School display artwork at library

Â?I like being able to put all my feelings into artwork,Â? said seventh-grader Nick Lee.

The hard part is challenging young teens to find their own style of self expression Â? and to be proud of it.

Â?She pushes you to the limit, but makes art easier,Â? said eighth-grader Liz Klowetter, of her art teacher.

Klowetter was named a Gold Key winner in the 2008 Regional Scholastic Art Awards competition for her vibrant self portrait, Â?Me, myself and I.Â?

And her art teacher, Debbie Anderson, also is a winner.

Anderson was not only named John Young Middle School Teacher of the Year, but puts all her students among the upper echelon with an annual art gallery reception, showcasing studentsÂ? creativity.

Friends, family, staff and students attended the Â?Art in AprilÂ? reception showcasing the projects of 200 students in the Spencer Gallery at the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library in downtown Mishawaka.

The reception was held on the last day of the show in April.

Â?ItÂ?s an opportunity to get kids out with their families for a special night where every student is a celebrity,Â? Anderson said.

The art project not only produced a Gold Key award, but four Silver Key awards and one honorable mention for John Young students in the scholastic art competition.

Â?The challenge was for students to interpret the style of artist Chuck Close, who uses gridding and color patterns for a more abstract, yet somehow, more realistic portrait,Â? Anderson said.

Parent Jacquelyn Everett was awed by the artistic abilities students displayed.

Â?The projects are a lot more out of the ordinary and special than when I was in school,Â? Everett said. Â?You can tell the kids have more freedom because not everyoneÂ?s project looks the same.Â?

Peering from a self-portrait was EverettÂ?s daughter, Amy Jo Woolley, painted with blended blue and pink pastels on top of an underlying grid base.

Complementing the visual arts, were 14 volunteers from the schoolÂ?s orchestra who played chamber music during the reception.

Seventh-grader Natalie Jackson not only played the violin, but had an art piece showcased.

JacksonÂ?s project was part of a challenge to create a creature by using different parts of animals.

JacksonÂ?s whimsical creature, Â?Merna,Â? looked like a cross between a unicorn and a mermaid. It was a winged horse with tiger legs and a fish tail.

Dagon Young explained the plaster sculpture he made in AndersonÂ?s after-school art club.

Â?It was a nonobjective assignment that seemed weird at the time because we were told just to round off three corners and make holes in it somewhere,Â? Young said. Â?When I got done, I realized it wasnÂ?t necessarily about shape, but the shadows from the holes added a whole other dimension.Â?

Young said Anderson is an excellent teacher.

Â?SheÂ?s not too specific, but she gives just enough guidelines to give you the freedom to make your own expression,Â? Young said.

YoungÂ?s dad, Martin, listened proudly as his son explained his artwork.

Â?These kids all have a fantastic gift and itÂ?s great to see them show it off,Â? he said.

The art display in the Spencer Gallery for the month of May will feature the work of elementary students from School City of Mishawaka.